LANE COUNTY, Ore. (KMTR) -- Lane County officials continue to try and find a solution for the bleak fiscal budget after denying a tax measure idea.
On August 15, Lane County commissioners turned down a proposal that would have put a tax levy on the November ballot. Commissioners felt the measure would be too rushed considering the due date to do so is Friday, August 17.
Some areas have spoken up individually, asking if it is possible to put out a tax levy city-wide rather than county-wide. Junction City is believed to be one of the towns hoping to do so.
Eugene Police Chief Pete Kerns told NewsSource 16 that while he can't confirm anything like that about Eugene. The department he oversees is trying to help in every way possible.
"We're not sitting on our hands wishing things were different," he said. "There's some pretty interesting innovations going on around the country and we're all studying what one another are doing and trying to see which is the most effective and what we could duplicate it in our communities."
Chief Kerns said that while the budget issue in Lane County is in fact worse than a lot of other areas nationwide, reductions in public safety is something that is common. For that reason, Eugene Police said they are inventing new ways of doing business, hoping to maintain some of Lane County's security.
